By Ian Ransom
(Reuters) – Midfielder Annalie Longo is in a race to recover from a serious knee injury and make New Zealand’s Women’s World Cup squad, but will gladly endure pain to play in front of home fans if selectors back her.
The 31-year-old tore her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and medial ligaments in her left knee against Mexico last September but has returned to training with Jitka Klimkova’s Football Ferns to push for a fourth World Cup appearance.
Longo has cautiously ticked off a number of milestones in her rehab but admits the tight timeframe could mean lingering discomfort come New Zealand’s opening match against Norway on July 20 at Eden Park.
“For me it’s kind of a do-or-die, risk-reward thing,” she told Reuters from training.
“I’ve had a fantastic career. I’m going out there and pushing the limits, I suppose, in terms of my knee.
“I think just the nature of the time-frame there is going to be a bit of uncomfortable pain in the knee but it’s all to play at a home World Cup. So I’m just trying to stay positive.”
Longo, who boasts more than 100 caps for the Ferns and became the youngest New Zealand international when she made her 2006 debut at 15, is among a raft of key players trying to prove their fitness in a hurry.
Olivia Chance injured a knee against Iceland in April while fellow midfielder Ria Percival only recently returned to action from an ACL injury sustained more than a year ago.
The trio’s return to training has been a psychological boost for a squad who are on a 10-match winless streak and have struggled to score without their best midfield.
“I was waiting for this moment for a long, long time,” the Ferns’ Czech coach Klimkova said of the three this week.
“They are making the quality of our session much better.”
Drawn in Group A, New Zealand will also play Philippines and Switzerland in the preliminaries, looking for their first ever win at a World Cup and to fulfil their goal of making the knock-out phase.
Longo, who has been juggling rehab with a full-time job for New Zealand Football as their women’s development manager, shrugged off the Ferns’ dire form in the leadup.
“There’s definitely a belief here,” she said.
“Having spent plenty of time around the group, I feel we’re pretty united and know our roles.
“We want to create a bit of history. Having that home advantage, the support behind the team will really push us on.”
(Reporting by Ian Ransom in Melbourne; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman)
